Arnold
Tash Jayasinghe
CibbuanoBlake's 7 - Weapon
March 18th 2007 11:25
Servalan and Travis, keepin' it real
This episode opens with our first re-encounter with Travis and Servalan since we last saw them griping about losing Orac back in the finale of Series 1. Servalan is as ruthless and duplicitous as ever, but we get a new Travis (played by a different actor) who’s virtually a different character. But more on that soon.
This episode concerns the stealing of a new top secret weapon from a Federation Weapons Development Base by the rather unhinged scientist who created it. What follows is a race between The Liberator crew and the Federation to try and get to said weapon in the ruined cities of a now uninhabited planet. The Federation is playing very carefully though, employing the use of the Clonemasters and a psychostrategist named Carnell. It all comes to a head with a showdown between Blake, the Federation and the scientist and his weapon.
This episode didn’t really do much for me. It had some cool ideas… the Clonemasters came across as a quasi-religious sect and some of the background information on them was interesting too, and I hope we see more of Carnell or other psychostrategists (nicknamed ‘Puppetmasters’ for their uncanny ability for manipulation and second-guessing people). Unfortunately these ideas are overshadowed by some implausible plotting… the excuse used by Servalan as to why she lets Blake go at the end feels just like the latest in a long line of excuses used to explain away the increasingly predictable showdowns between the two. I don’t think I can take too many more showdowns between Blake and the Federation that end with him one-upping them. It’s not unbelievable for Blake to win so often, but it is implausible that the Federation’s internal status quo would remain the same in light of such a continuous beating.
The new Travis is fairly annoying, the actor gives a less ‘restrained’ performance than his predecessor – coming across as dumber, more over-the-top and angrier. He’s barely the same character, and worse – he occasionally lapses into an offputting cockney accent. The final scene involving Servalan and Carnell is just weird too… I don’t really care if the villains are flirting with one another, I’d prefer to see some much needed character development amongst Blake’s crew. Perhaps this scene is an indication of the growing popularity of the character of Servalan at the time of the episode's filming.
Anyway, this was an okay episode, not as good the previous episode, Shadow.
Some quotes…
AVON: Alron may be different Cally, but on Earth it is considered ill-mannered to kill your friends while committing suicide.
TRAVIS: Honesty at last. A mark of contempt?
SERVALAN: Or respect. A man might see it as respect. You would’ve… once.
VILA: Maybe I’m on your side Cally.
BLAKE: It’s not a question of sides Vila.
AVON: (to Vila) No, it’s a question of intelligence, so your opinion has very little relevance.
JENNA: Maybe IMIPAK is another Orac? If we capture it maybe we can breed from them.
BLAKE: What a disgusting idea.
AVON: Going there would be safe but pointless.
VILA: Now that I wouldn’t object to.
JENNA: Be quiet Vila.
VILA: Why ask my opinion in the first place.
CALLY: Actually, nobody did.
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